Film splice patch

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for splicing ends of two photographic film strips of indefinite lengths together includes a base stand for aligning the two ends and holding them in abutting relationship, a handle block pivotally and resiliently mounted on the base stand, a cutter and a sponge pad mounted on the handle block to assist in the splicing operation, and three series of upstanding peg members for holding the film strips and an adhesive coated tape in various operative positions on the base stand. The adhesive coated tape is protected by a sheet of paper which is removed during the splicing operation.

United States Patent [1 1 Takahashi Oct. 21, 1975 [54] FILM SPLICE PATCH 2,994,362 8/1961 Hall 161/406 Inventor: Yoritam Takahashi, 3 20 l, Chuo, 3,764,440 10/1973 Schroter et al. 156/505 Ohtaku, Tokyo 143, Japan Primary ExaminerGeorge F. Lesmes [22] Flled' Sept' 1974 Assistant ExaminerR. J. Roche [21] Appl. No.: 509,576

Related US. Application Data [621' Division of Ser. No. 39l,652, Aug. 27, 1973. [57] ABSTRACT Apparatus for splicing ends of two photographic film [30] Forelgn Apphcauon Prlomy Data strips of indefinite lengths together includes a base June 2, 1973 Japan 48-61440 stand for g g the two ends and holding them in June 2, 1973 Japan 48-61441 abutting relationship a handle block p uy and siliently mounted on the base stand, a cutter and a U.S. p g p mounted on the handle block to assist in 2 352/1520 352/237 the splicing operation, and three series of upstanding [51] Int. Cl. 332B 3 ll0, B31F 5/05 peg members for holding the film Strips and an adhe [58.] Flew of Search "1 6 352/237 sive coated tape in various operative positions on the 156/505 115 base stand. The adhesive coated tape is protected by a htf h'h' dd' th 1 References Cited zpeiatoonpaper w 1c 15 remove urmg e sp1c1ng UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,506,933 5/1950 Mercer 156/505 3 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures Sheet 1 of 3 US. Patent Oct. 21, 1975 U.S. Patent Oct. 21, 1975 Sheet 2 of3 3,914,491

U.S. Patent Oct.21, 1975 Sheet30f3 3,914,491

FILM SPLICE PATCH This is a division of Application Ser. No. 391,652 filed Aug. 27, 1973.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to apparatus for splicing ends of two photographic film strips of indefinite length together by means of an adhesive coated tape which is applied to the abutting ends to form a splice. The adhesive coated tape is protected until the time of its use by a sheet of paper which is removed during the splicing operation.

The film splicers of the prior art have certain disadvantages. For instance, it is necessary to perform many successive operations including the steps of positioning of each tape to be connected, cutting off the lugs of each tape at the connecting position, butting the cut end of the tapes against each other so as to adhere to each other, bonding a splice tape on the butted end of the tapes and cutting out the lugs of the splice tape at both sides of the tape. Certain prior art film splicers perform these various operational steps with special devices which may form entirely separate mechanisms which obviously involve an expenditure of considerable time and effort by the operator in the actuation thereof. Further, the construction of the film splicer is rendered more costly and more complex because of the structure which is used.

Further, in splicing the ends of the film strips, many of the conventional film splicers have the disadvantage that the adhesive tape must be manually held in position, thereby the film strips are inaccurately bonded. Also, another disadvantage is that both surfaces of a film strip are required to be handled in separate steps which is troublesome to the operator. Also, another disadvantage is the utilization of a cutting blade in an exposed form which is consequently dangerous to the operator.

Further, with the use of many of the conventional adhesive tapes, there is the disadvantage that the adhesive tape is directly manipulated with the hands of the operator, resulting in inaccurate bonding.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to film splicing apparatus and, more particularly, to apparatus for mechanically splicing ends of two photographic film strips of indefinite length together. For example, the splicing operation may be for the purpose of repairing a break in the film.

It is accordingly a primary object of the present invention to provide film splicing apparatus which makes it possible to perform a uniform splice.

Another object of the present invention is to provide film splicing apparatus which requires simple mechanical movements to precisely cut the film strips and to apply a length of splicing tape across two abutted ends of silm strips that are to be spliced together.

A further object of the present invention is to provide film splicing apparatus for sequentially cutting precisely defined segments of film strips, applying an adhesive coated tape to the two matched film strip ends to be spliced together and then applying pressure across the splice to perform the required bond, all of these steps being accomplished in response to simple'operator arm movements.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an adhesive coated tape that is capable of bonding the front and rear sides of the film strips by mere mechanical manipulations of the operator.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a structure which is simple and inexpensive and at the same time very reliable in operation.

With the above objects in view the present invention includes, in a film splicing apparatus for splicing ends of two photographic film strips of indefinite lengths together, the strips having uniformly spaced sprocket holes therethrough along at least one side margin, base stand support means having a raised surface and aligning the two ends and holding them in abutting relationship during splicing thereof said base stand support having an elongated opening at one end thereof; handle block means pivotally and resiliently mounted on the base means and movable between an inoperative position and an operative splicing position on the base surface; cutting means mounted on the block means and upon the resilient movement of the block means into the splicing position thereby effecting a cutting of segments from the film strips; compression means mounted on the block means and responsive to the movement of the block means into the splicing position positioning an adhesive coated tape into bonding engagement with the two ends of the film strips; a plurality of first insertion means mounted on the base means and projecting upwardly to operatively engage the sprocket holes of the film strips during the cutting operation, the first insertion means including a pair of at least two peg members and the pairs are formed in a single row; a plurality of second insertion means mounted on the base means and projecting upwardly to operatively engage the sprocket holes of both the film strips and the adhesive tape during the splicing operation, the second insertion means including a pair of a plurality of peg members and the pairs are formed in a single row; a plurality of third insertion means mounted on the base means and projecting upwardly to operatively engage apertures of the protection paper during the splicing operation, the third insertion means including at least two peg elements formed in a single row, the peg elements row being positioned substantially parallel to the peg members row of the second insertion means; and the base means having an elongated opening in its raised surface and the block means having a rib member on its other end, the rib member being inserted with the adhesive tape attached thereto into the elongated opening during the splicing operation.

These and other objects and aspects of the invention will be more clearly understood from the following description of an embodiment of the invention shown, by way of example only, in the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals denote corresponding parts throughout the several views.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a film splicer with the handle block in an open position according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a strip of adhesive tape adhering to a strip of protection paper according to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating the adhesive tape bonded to the front and rear surfaces of the film according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the film splicer with the handle block in a closed position according to the present invention; and

FIGS. 5 through 9 are generally cross sectional views taken along line A-A of FIG. 4 illustrating the handle block in sundry positions with respect to the base stand during various steps'of the operation; and more particularly FIG. 5 illustrates the handle block in a raised condition and the film'supported in a cutting position on the base stand;

FIG. 6 illustrates the handle block in a raised condition, the film supported in the cutting position on the base stand, and the combined strip of adhesive tape and protection paper positioned above the film;

FIG. 7 illustrates the handle block in a raised condition, the film strips supported in the splicing position and the combined strip of adhesive tape and protection paper positioned below the film strips;

FIG. 8 illustrates the handle block slightly contacting the surface of the base stand, the film strips supported in the splicing position and the combined strip of adhesive tape and protection paper folded to cover both sides of the film; and

FIG. 9 is a view similar to FIG. 8, illustrating a firm contact between the handle block and the base stand.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In accordance with this invention, the film splicing apparatus shown in FIG. 1, includes a rectangular base stand 3 in the horizontal plane and a rectangular handle block 5 inclined thereto. The stand 3 and block 5 are pivotally interconnected by a rotatably mountedpin 15 on each of the extended flange members at one end of the block 5. The other end of the block 5 is turned outwardly therefrom to form a handle member.

The block 5 is provided with a raised surface structuralarrangement that renders a resilient or spring effect to the block 5; the spring is designated by refer ence numeral 10 (see FIGS. 5-9). A cutting blade 6 is shown in dotted lines in FIG. 1 and in solid lines in FIGS. 5-9. A slit opening 18 extends through the raised portion and is in alignment with the cutting blade 6 which is mounted on the wall to the rear of the raised surface. The dimensions of ,the slit opening 18 are slightly larger than the dimensions of cutting blade 6. The spring 10 provides the cutting blade 6 to be safely stored in an inoperative position and to be operative through the slit opening 18 as will be more fully described hereinafter.

At the top' of the raised surface as shown in FIG. 1 a rib member member 12, which consist of a folded over extension of the raised surface, is fixedly attached to the block 5. Mounted between the rib member 12 and the slit 18 is a sponge compressor member 11 which will be described more fully hereafter.

The base stand 3 provides a raised support having a lower peripheral edge, for the various operations performed on the film strips. Initially the ends of photographic film strips of indefinite lengths are received in a pair of two peg members 4a and 4b, respectively, as seen in FIGS. 1 and 5 for-the cutting operation thereof by the cutting blade 6. FIGS. 5 to 9, among other things, illustrate successive positions of open conditions to a closed position in the horizontal plane of FIG. 9.

The base stand 3 further provides a support forthe cut matched film strips la, lb during the splicing operation which support consists of pairs of plurality of peg members 40, 4d, 4e, 4f and said pairs are formed in a single row as illustrated in FIG. 1.

The base stand 3 further provides a support for a sheet of paper 14 to which an adhesive coated tape 17 adheres. The adhesive portion of tape 17 is thus protected during storage and the like until the protective paper 14 is removed during the splicing operation. The

' support for protective paper sheet 14 comprises at the sides of adhesive tape 17 and the end product is shown front thereof two upstanding peg elements 7 formed in a single row, the row of peg elements 7 being positioned substantially parallel to the row of peg members 4t -4f and also to the row of peg members 4a-4b. The rear support for the protective paper sheet 14 comprises a cut out portion-of the raised surface of base stand 3 and is designated by reference number 16. More particularly, the cut out portion 16 is an upstanding elongated plate as illustrated in FIG. 1 and in FIGS. 5-9.

In order to more fully understand the inventive concept, the following is described:

The cutting operation is started, as stated above, by depressing handle blocks to cause cutting blade 6 to extend through slit opening 18 as illustrated in FIG 9 to sever the ends of film strips la, lb whose sprocket holes are received in a supporting position in peg members 4a, 4b, respectively. Upon release of handle block 5, the spring 10 returns the block 5 to an open condition as illustrated, in particularly FIG. 6.

The splicing operation is started, as illustrated in FIG. 6 by the insertion of the combined sheet of protective paper 14 and adhesive tape 17 with the adhesive coated surface thereon facing down on the film strips 1a, lb. The combined sheet of protective paper 14 and adhesive tape 17 is illustrated in FIG. 2. Therein, it is seen that apertures 9 have been provided at each of the four corners of the protective paper 14. As illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, one pair of apertures 9 which pair lie at one end of the protective paper 14 to receive therethrough the pair of peg elements 7. The other end of the protective paper, as stated previously, is supported on the elongated plate 16. Attention is directed to the fact that the protective paper 14 is manually turned over by the operator. That is, FIG. 6 shows the film strips 1a,. lb below the protective paper 1, while in the next successive step, FIG. 7 shows the film strips 1a, lb above.

Thereafter, as illustrated in FIG. 8, the free end of protective paper 14 that is mounted on plate 16 is folded over and the pair of apertures 9 thereon are inserted on the pair of peg elements 7 for the rigid retention of both ends of the protective paper thereon.

As illustrated in FIG. 9, the handle block 5 is depressed whereby the sponge compressor member 11 compresses the adhesive tape 17 into a splicing relationship with films strips la, lb. The force of the rib member 12 on the two layers of protective paper 14 against an elongated orifice 13 as shown in FIG. 1 renders a splitting of the protective paper 14 along the line of the sprocket or perforated holes 19. Accordingly, the rib member 12 forces the two layer protective paper 14 through orifice 13 as illustrated in FIG. 9. Consequently, the spliced film is surrounded on both in FIG. 9 and also in FIG. 3.

The invention has been described in detail with particular reference to the preferred embodiment thereof, but it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. An article of manufacture comprising in combination: a rectangular sheet of protective paper, said sheet having apertures at the four corners thereof and uniformly spaced sprocket holes at the median portion formed widthwise thereof; and a rectangular sheet of adhesive tape having uniformly spaced sprocket holes therethrough and adhesive material on the bottom thereof, said adhesive tape sheet being positioned in an area between said apertures in a superimposed relationship on said protective paper sheet whereby the sprocket holes of said protective paper sheet coincide with the sprocket holes of said adhesive tape sheet.

2. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 1, wherein said area of the rectangular sheet of said protection paper is substantially larger than the area of said adhesive tape sheet.

3. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 1, wherein the coinciding sprocket holes of said protection paper sheet and said adhesive tape sheet are elongated in shape and said elongation is parallel to the length of said protection paper sheet and to the width of said adhesive tape sheet. 

1. AN ARTICLE OF MANUFACTURE COMPRISING IN COMBINATION: A RECTANGULAR SHEET OF PROTECTIVE PAPER, SAID SHEET HAVING APERTURES AT THE FOUR CORNERS THEREOF AND UNIFORMLY SPACED SPROCKET HOLES AT THE MEDIAN PORTION FORMED WIDTHWISE THEREOF, AND A RECTANGULAR SHEET OF ADHESIVE TAPE HAVING UNIFORMLY SPACED SPROCKET HOLES THERETHROUGH AND ADHESIVE MATERIAL ON THE BOTTOM THEREOF, SAID ADHESIVE TAPE SHEET BEING POSITIONED IN A AREA BETWEEN SAID APERTURES IN A SUPERIMPOSED RELATION SHIP ON SAID PROTECTIVE PAPER SHEET WHEREBY THE SPROCKET HOLES OF SAID PROTECTIVE PAPER WHEET COINCIDE WITH THE SPROCKET HOLES OF SAID ADHESIVE TAPE SHEET.
 2. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 1, wherein said area of the rectangular sheet of said protection paper is substantially larger than the area of said adhesive tape sheet.
 3. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 1, wherein the coinciding sprocket holes of said protection paper sheet and said adhesive tape sheet are elongated in shape and said elongation is parallel to the length of said protection paper sheet and to the width of said adhesive tape sheet. 